1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor test apparatuses and methods using the same and, more particularly, to a semiconductor test apparatus and a method using the same for testing a semiconductor chip and a semiconductor device (tested device) having plate connection terminals.
Recently, demands are mounting for high-density, high-speed and compact semiconductor devices. According to a mounting method widely used in the art in order to meet these demands, a plurality of pre-packaged semiconductor chips (so-called bare chips) or a plurality of semiconductor devices having a ball grid array (BGA) structure are mounted directly on a circuit board.
In such a mounting method, the entirety of the device would be defective if one of the plurality of bare chips or semiconductor devices is abnormal. Therefore, high reliability in each bare chip or semiconductor device is required.
Accordingly, a growing importance is being attached to a test for examining whether an individual bare chip or semiconductor device is functioning normally.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hereinafter, pre-packaged bare chips and resin-packaged semiconductor devices are inclusively referred to as semiconductor devices. Currently, various methods for testing a semiconductor device having plate connection terminals flush with a lower major surface of the device or relatively depressed therefrom have been proposed and practiced.
In testing electrical operation of such a semiconductor device, it is necessary to ensure that each of the plate connection terminals is in contact with a test probe of a test apparatus. Cares must be taken so that the plate connection terminals remain largely intact. Moreover, such a test should be reliable and should require a relatively low cost.
One of the most widely used test methods is a method using a probe. In this method, a plurality of probes are provided on a test substrate so as to correspond to a plurality of plate connection terminals formed on the lower major surface of a semiconductor device. A test is conducted by causing an end of each of the probes to be in direct contact with the corresponding plate connection terminal.
For this purpose, a semiconductor test socket having a plurality of probes provided with the same arrangement as the plurality of plate connection terminals of the semiconductor device is used. A U-shaped deflected part is provided in the probe. When the end of the probe is in contact with the plate connection terminal of the semiconductor device and pressed thereby, the deflected part is deformed so as to reduce damage to the plate connection terminal.
However, such a method of testing electrical performance of a semiconductor device has an inherent problem in that, as the number of terminals increases in the semiconductor device as a result of a high-density arrangement, it is difficult to arrange the probes in close proximity to each other. Connection between the end of the probe and the plate connection terminal may not be satisfactory, resulting in a drop in precision of the test. Also, manufacturing of a test apparatus having probes provided at close proximity to each other is difficult and requires a considerable cost.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor test apparatus and a test method using the same in which the aforementioned problems are eliminated.
Another and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor test apparatus and a test method using the same in which a test on a semiconductor device having plate connection terminals is conducted in a highly reliable manner and at a relatively low cost.
The aforementioned objects can be achieved by a semiconductor test apparatus for testing a semiconductor device having plate connection terminals, comprising: a test substrate comprising a support film and a conductive layer, said support film formed of an insulating material and said conductive layer formed on said support film and having deformable connection parts connected with said plate connection terminals; and an upholding substrate having upholding parts formed to project at a position that faces said connection parts and which urges, in cooperation with said test substrate, said connection parts toward said plate connection terminals of said semiconductor device so as to electrically connect said connection parts to said plate connection terminals.
The aforementioned objects can also be achieved by a semiconductor test method for testing a semiconductor device having plate connection terminals, using a semiconductor test apparatus that comprises: a test substrate comprising a support film and a conductive layer, said support film formed of an insulating material and said conductive layer formed on said support film and having deformable connection parts connected with said plate connection terminals; and an upholding substrate having upholding parts formed to project at a position that faces said connection part and which urges, in cooperation with said test substrate, said connection parts toward said plate connection terminals of said semiconductor device so as to electrically connect said connection parts to said plate connection terminals, said semiconductor test method comprising the steps of: mounting said semiconductor device on said test substrate and assembling said test substrate to said upholding substrate; and deforming said connection parts by urging said connection parts against said upholding part as a result of said assembling, and establishing electrical connection between said connection parts and said plate connection terminals.
According to the semiconductor test apparatus and the semiconductor test method of the present invention, the connection parts formed in the test substrate are constructed to be deformable. Therefore, by combining the test substrate and the upholding substrate, the upholding part deformably urges the connection parts against the plate connection terminals of the semiconductor device. Thereby, the connection parts are projected with respect to the other parts of the test substrate.
Thus, even if the plate connection terminals formed in the semiconductor device are flush with the bottom surface of the semiconductor device or depressed from the same, electrical connection between the connection parts and the plate connection terminals is properly established since the connection parts is deformably pressed against the plate connection terminals.
The aforementioned objects can also be achieved by a semiconductor test apparatus for testing a semiconductor device having plate connection terminals, comprising: a measurement substrate havign which measurement terminals provided at positions that correspond to said plate connection terminals; an array substrate mounted on said tested substrate and having positioning depressions, for exposing said measurement terminals, provided at positions that correspond to said plate connection terminals; and connection electrodes mounted in said positioning depressions so that a lower end of each of said connection electrodes is electrically connected to a corresponding one of said measurement terminals and a top end of each of said connection electrodes is electrically connected to a corresponding one of said plate connection terminals, wherein a top of each of said connection electrodes is configured to project from said array substrate.
When a semiconductor device having plate connection terminals is mounted on the semiconductor test apparatus having the above-described construction, the connection electrodes are pressed against the plate connection terminals. Even if the plate connection terminals formed in the semiconductor device are flush with the bottom surface of the semiconductor device or depressed from the same, electrical connection between the connection electrodes and the plate connection terminals is properly established since the connection electrodes are projecting and are pressed against the plate connection terminals.
The aforementioned objects can also be achieved by a semiconductor test method for testing a semiconductor device having plate connection terminals, using a semiconductor test apparatus that comprises: a measurement substrate having measurement terminals provided at positions that correspond to said plate connection terminals; an array substrate mounted on said tested substrate and having positioning depressions, for exposing said measurement terminals, provided at positions that correspond to said plate connection terminals; and connection electrodes mounted in said positioning depressions so that a lower end of each of said connection electrodes is electrically connected to a corresponding one of said measurement terminals and a top end of each of said connection electrodes is electrically connected to a corresponding one of said plate connection terminals, wherein a top of each of said connection electrodes is configured to project from said array substrate, and wherein said semiconductor test method comprising the steps of: mounting said connection electrodes in said positioning depressions provided in said array substrate so as to position said connection electrodes; and testing said semiconductor device by electrically connecting said connection electrodes thus positioned to said plate connection terminals.
The connection electrodes are positioned using a simple process for mounting the connection electrodes in the positioning depressions formed in the array substrate. By conducting a test on the semiconductor device by maintaining the positioning and electrically connecting the connection electrodes to the plate connection terminals, the connection electrodes and the plate connection terminals are connected to each other with a high precision. Accordingly, the reliability of the test is improved.